I. CARA NOTES: HEARING POSTPONED; LOBBY DAY

II. BOULDER DAILY CAMERA EDITORIAL

I. Senate Energy Committee Pushes CARA Mark Up Back Again

National Wildlife Federation has recently learned that the Energy and Natural Resources Committee markup of CARA has been postponed again - the new date will be June 27 or 28. There are few details at the moment, but it appears as though chairman Frank Murkowski (R-AK) is focusing on a particularly challenging electricity restructuring bill and that it is taking most of the committee's time and attention. Although it doesn't appear that CARA is the cause of delay, the window of opportunity is getting tight. We need to keep the pressure up and make sure that every Senator knows that bringing home conservation funding is critical this year.

Plans are being laid for a CARA lobby day the week of July 17th. Activists would come to Washington D.C. to lobby their Senator to support the Conservation and Reinvestment Act. If you may be interested in participating in this event, please contact Jodi Applegate or Pam Goddard (202-797-6840, applegate@nwf.org; 202-797-6636, mailto:applegate@nwf.org). We'll keep you posted as the details develop.

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II. Excellent Pro-CARA Editorial in the Boulder Daily Camera

NWF and others are working to bring media attention to this issue and have had some recent success. Editorials have appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Boulder Daily Camera. The editorial from the Boulder Daily Camera is below.

It's Sen. Campbell's turn:

The U.S. Senate will soon consider the Conservation and Reinvestment Act — a piece of ambitious environmental legislation that is long-overdue. The bill would automatically grant nearly $45 billion to states over the next 15 years to fund a broad list of environmental, recreational and historical conservation efforts. Colorado would get $44 million each year to preserve open space and boost wildlife management. The passage of this bill could be a tremendous tool to stem urban sprawl and maintain our quality of life.

The new law is not a new tax. Money would come from a portion of the $4.5 billion the U.S. Congress receives from private oil and gas companies that drill off U.S. coastlines. While the act won overwhelming approval in the U.S. House of Representatives (315-102), just one or two senators could stall this important legislation. Western conservatives have vowed to kill the Senate's version of the bill over private property rights.

The Conservation and Reinvestment Act, called CARA, will be heard in the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee as early as next Wednesday. As a member of that committee, Colorado Republican Sen. Ben Nighthorse Campbell must step up as a strong leader in support of this bipartisan bill to protect what Colorado cherishes most.

A key provision of CARA is its bolstering of the Land and Water Conservation Fund. The federal fund was established 36 years ago for environmental conservation. Congress has sat idly by while funds have been siphoned off to balance the budget. CARA would ensure $900 million each year in the fund, tripling money for land acquisitions.

CARA would also raise the nation's commitment to wildlife conservation by doubling what is now appropriated toward this goal. A total of $350 million would go to state wildife agencies under the new law, with $7.1 for Colorado's wildlife and an additional $760,000 for recovery of threatened and endangered species. The infusion of federal dollars for non-game species is critical in Colorado. The Colorado Division of Wildlife spends the majority of its limited resources on hunting and fishing programs.

Other benefits to Colorado under CARA: $15.8 million in state and federal Land and Water Conservation Fund dollars, which pay for parks, recreation, open space and wetlands conservation; $1.9 million to protect historic properties; $746,000 for urban parks and $7.7 million for Native American lands restoration.

Bipartisan support is CARA's biggest selling point. Fifty governors, including Gov. Bill Owens, support the measure. The bill is driven by California Democrat George Miller and Alaska Republican Doug Young — lawmakers who are usually polar opposites on environmental issues. The main obstacle is conservatives' claim that CARA is nothing but a federal land grab. As Young points out, the bill has strong provisions to protect land owners who aren't willing to sell their property.

The other argument is that environmental conservation is not as important as money for education, health, welfare, etc. What these lawmakers are really saying is that they don't want to lose control over the discretionary use of these funds. But it makes perfect sense for Congress to earmark funds from oil and gas drilling to mitigate damages caused by these exploitative industries.

It has taken two long years for the Conservation and Reinvestment Act to get this far. We can't afford to wait any longer. Colorado's senators must take their turn and ensure that our open spaces, wildlife, clean air and water last for generations to come.

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